


Never Enough...Till It Was

by southernbookgirl



Category: NCIS
Genre: Ellick, F/M, Fictober, Inspired By Tumblr, Inspired by Fanfiction, Realizing Feelings, Romance, Sort of AU, fictober 18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 04:17:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16468559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southernbookgirl/pseuds/southernbookgirl
Summary: Nicholas Torres thought the world would never be enough for him... until he found something that made his life mean something.





	Never Enough...Till It Was

**Author's Note:**

  * For [helsinkibaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/gifts), [Hellokaelyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/gifts), [tchele](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tchele/gifts), [samudinovs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/samudinovs/gifts).
  * Inspired by [First Watch](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16466549) by [helsinkibaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby). 



> So, this was inspired by several things: "First Watch" by helsinkibaby, several prompts and responses on torresandbishop's Tumblr about Caleb and Kelsey's cover of "Never Enough," and lyrics from Phil Wickham's song "Safe". I wrote this in about an hour and a half at work tonight (I have time to kill when not helping students), so please forgive me if some of the flow or structure is off. (Fictober Prompt #25: "Go forward, do not stray.")

  _“First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love.” ~Maya Angelou_  

* * *

Nick Torres held his breath, hoping he wouldn’t wake his partner and friend Ellie Bishop, who slept soundly and cozily on their boss’ couch. He hadn’t glanced at his watch, but he guessed it was about two in the morning. He knew he should go make a cup of coffee, go take a walk around the first floor – anything to stay awake till his relief came around 8:00 a.m. But, if he was honest with himself, he did not want this moment to end.

Just for a brief moment, without any curious eyes on him, he let himself look at Ellie. She was curled up on her side facing him, one hand curled across her waist with the other hand making a fist tucked carefully under her chin, propping her head up a little. Bishop's cheeks were flushed pink with sleep, her surprise of the week – her new bangs – swept in no particular style across her forehead. His fingers itched with sudden desire, a need to reach out and push them back, to let his fingers tangle in her hair, thinking, _I’ve waited so long for this_ … Torres stood next to her, the temptation to stretch out his hand so great that it took every ounce of his being to stop himself. With this, he realized this mirrored a moment many years before where he’d been awestruck by a sleeping beauty.

* * *

In the years past, when Nick was about fifteen years old, he and Sofia hung around one Saturday evening. Their mothers were out shopping that night, and Sofia came to hang out and get some homework done. After homework and dinner, the two teens lounged on the couch in the den, chilling out and watching a movie.

Well, Sofia had been sick with a cold for the past week, and the combination of her weakened body and hectic schedule became too much. About halfway through the film, Nick turned to ask her a question, and he saw Sofia fast asleep in the corner of the couch. Her hair half-fell out of her ponytail, laying every which way, and her hands were curled underneath her right cheek as she slept. Her pink lips were parted slightly, her soft breathing barely heard over the background noise of the movie.

In that moment of vulnerability, Nick realized Sofia had never looked more beautiful. He used to think that he had to travel the world, see the cultures and hear the languages and stories of people far away, before he’d decide to come back and settle down, marry and have a family. But, in his family’s den in their Miami home, Nicholas Armando de Cristiano Torres knew that his travels, his experiences, would not mean a thing unless he had someone to share it with. The thrills of Las Vegas, the lights of the Eiffel Tower at night, the hustle and bustle of London’s pubs and shops, the awestruck wonder of the Pyramids and ancient relics of the Incas, Egyptians, and early Middle Eastern peoples - they would not mean a thing. Even the riches and Seven Wonders of the World would pale in comparison if Nicholas could not share his life and love with someone.

At this, he gently moved Sofia, taking her in his arms, as he situated himself in the corner where she had slept. Other than a soft whimper, Sofia did not awaken. Nick drew the blanket up to his chest, Sofia nestled in the crook of his right arm; he laid a gentle kiss to her forehead before drifting off to sleep himself. As he did, he knew that Sofia Maria Elena Montoya was the girl for him, and he understood his life would never be the same.

* * *

Nick came out of his flashback. Sadly, he and Sofia never got to see how their future played out with one another. After her death, he threw himself into his work, changing names and identities during years of undercover work. He created his own backstory, own family history, own identity, in an attempt to escape the pain he left behind in Miami. Torres got to travel and see many of the places on his bucket list, but he was a loner, not having a special someone to share it with.

So, when he transferred to the D.C. NCIS office and joined Gibbs’ team after his brother-in-law’s murder, he thought much of the status quo would remain: he would be Nicholas Torres but persist as the lone wolf as of the prior eight years. Instead, what he found were colleagues, colleagues who became friends, friends who became his second family. In this family, he also discovered something he never thought he would have again: a person to call his compatriot, his partner in crime, his best friend.

And as he stared at the woman beside him, oblivious to all the world but her dreams, Nick knew he had found the one. He once read this quote: “The higher you build walls around your heart, the harder you fall when someone tears them down.” Eleanor Raye Bishop not only scaled the walls of his heart, but she tore them down and threw the stones into the raging sea that represented his fears, his failures, and his past. Nick could jump in and drown in it, or he could embrace the chance to walk along its shore, knowing he would have someone to help him on the uneven, winding course called life. Quirky, intelligent, and compassionate Eleanor Bishop was a treasure to behold, and Nick knew all the sights and sounds of the world compared not to her beauty, love, and strength.

Secure in this newfound knowledge and more certain of his journey ahead, Torres leaned down and laid a gentle kiss on Ellie’s forehead. He whispered “I love you” in her ear before reclaiming his seat next to her. He stared at the roaring fire in Gibbs’ fire and remembered the words of his father from many years ago: “Go forward, do not stray.” Nick intended to stay on the path this time because he had something – someone – who made his life, his work, worthwhile. In the blaze, he envisioned the pieces of his brokenness, anger, and pain burn away as he forged a new path to the future for himself and Eleanor Bishop.  

* * *

  _“To the one whose dreams have fallen all apart/And all you're left with is a tired and broken heart/I can tell by your eyes you think you’re on your own/but you're not alone...” ~Phil Wickham,_ “Safe”


End file.
